I have a question concerning dark colored mohair, I understand that some reborners have had trouble with darker colors (browns etc.) running and staining the dolls heads, do any of you check these colors before using them? If you do, how exactly do you do it? I think I read somewhere about running it under hot/warm water or something like that. Have any of you done this? Is there one particular mohair over another that gives you trouble? Please explain the process of checking for color running. Thanks in advance.
No I have never checked. Mohair properly dyed with acid dye should not do that. I sometimes dye my own mohair, and by the end of the process the hair is dark and the water is almost clear; and when I take the mohair out of the dye bath, I rinse it in very hot water, and there is no sign of colour coming out of it. The only way, I imagine, the colour could possibly leach out would be if it came in contact with some sort of solvent.
1 Like
I do usually check with dark hair. I run it under hot water and let it dry on white paper toweling. I’ve never had a problem, though.
2 Likes
So even with the conditioning spray it doesn’t usually run eh? Well that’s good to know. How long does it take to dry after you check it, and does it change the hair in any way when you put it under the hot water? Do you blot it between paper towels or just lay it on them? Thanks again.
I put the mohair between the paper and press it down. I have no idea how long it takes to dry. I want to say ‘the usual amount of time!’ LOL (I’m not the best at keeping track of things, to be honest). As to the hot water, I believe that it is preferable to cold water. I was told that cold water can cause the mohair to start to felt (I have no idea if it’s true, but the hot water does no damage, and I figure better safe than sorry).
Great info, much appreciated.
Sudden change in temperature will make the mohair to felt. Therefore when I get the mohair out of the boiling hot dye bath I rinse it in water as hot as I can get out of my tap. Also, if it is going to to bleed, it is more likely to bleed in hot water. If I wanted to test a mohair for colour fastness, I would only use a small strand, then press it in white tissue, and if any colour would come out it would show on the tissue. The small strand will dry in matter of minutes.
2 Likes
Thank you, that info is definitely one I will STAR.
Do yourself a real favor and do the strand test ludmila suggested. I paid the price, as I wrote in another email, by ending up with a baby with blue ears and a stained skull.
I meant in another post… not another email.
I definitely will. Thanks and sorry about your baby’s blue ears and stained skull that must be very frustrating, were you able to correct any of it or is it a dumper?
She will be staying in my nursery but she is mostly corrected. She came out so adorable despite her boo-boos that I am glad to keep her. The blue stain is very light now and I added cappilaries and made it look like blue undertoning after removing as much as possible, however, she also has needle marks from me attempting to make rooted brows. They are almost invisible after baking and then refrigerating, but she just isn’t sale quality at this point. She is adorable, though.(I’d add a pix but haven’t figured out how to do that yet. One day I need to come into the forum and just figure it all out!)
You should never refrigerate vinyl. You are lucky it did not crack. Baking and letting cool slowly is more likely to contract any holes anyway.
2 Likes
Wow! Thanks. I was always told to do this to close the pores if you removed hair. I guess it could crack. I’ll never do that again. This is why I like this forum. I learn something everytime I come here.
Yes, I too heard somebody to say that; they are getting confused vinyl with human skin. Cold water will contract pores on our skin, but it will make vinyl hard and brittle. How much cold can vinyl take depends on the ingredients in the particular kit.
Do not torture the poor baby by hot and cold temperature changes! Not to mention someone opening your fridge! Basically, when you heat the vinyl, it wants to go back to its’ original form which is why the pores close a little. Or at least that is what I think. You stretch the vinyl slightly with the needle when you make a hole and heat takes out the stretched part of it. Cooling it without pressure on the spot allows it to retain that shape. So if you want a deformed baby, just heat on a wooden frame and then stretch it out to cool…wah, lah, arms with bumps that won’t go away…lesson learned!
Back to the original question, mohair felts way easier than you would think so just test a small piece unless you want to try to detangle a mat. Which is why I gave up dyeing it with human hair dye or coffee. It isn’t as easy as you’d think but probably gets easier with practice.
1 Like
I only use the acid dyes, but I have accidentally boiled some lots, and did all sort of horrible things with it, and the mohair was still the same nice soft shiny; didn’t even have to condition it, and now cannot tell which lot it was. Only one lot matted, and I have absolutely no idea why. The only thing I could think of that somehow the rinse water was not as hot as I thought. That mohair turned into one solid felted lump, which could not be pulled apart 
Oh, no!! I’m sure that was a shock.
You should always make certain the dye has been thoroughly rinsed. Just because the dealer said that it was properly processed and rinsed means nothing. Human beings are infallible. Even the best dealers can make mistakes. I bought mohair from a very reputable seller for my third reborn. At the time, I didn’t know that all mohair should be rinsed regardless. The dye didn’t start to stain the doll’s head until several months after she was rooted. Thankfully, this doll was a gift to my mother-in-law and wasn’t one that I sold.
So you rinse ALL the mohair you purchase? How about it guys----do you all do that? If you do, do you just run it under hot water and make sure no color comes out and then just lay it out to dry? I was advised in a previous post to check a small piece of hair but ALL of it. Getting kinda confused.